Musketeers of the Future
by MlledeLaRoseBlanche
Summary: The musketeers are heading to the future with the spirit of Raoul as their guide. Can all hope be saved from disaster? Starts just before D'Artagnan dies in the 1998 movie The Man in The Iron Mask.
1. Chapter 1

-1**Musketeers of the future**

_-Please note this starts just before D'Artagnan's death in the 1998 movie The Man in The Iron Mask._

_What if D'Artagnan hadn't died that night? What if Raoul had come back as a spirit in hopes of changing a horrible future? What if holds a lot of power. These questions are ones that need to be answered…._

King Louis the 14th, blinded by rage drew a knife from his belt, his soul purpose to destroy the brother he so despised. He would never get the chance. D'Artagnan, Captain of his Musketeers, leapt in front, his back to him, shielding Louis's brother from a dagger that would have killed him. Then, everything stopped. Louis froze, his face twisted in a look of maniacal rage, dagger poised murderously in his clenched hand.

Athos, a retired musketeer of many years, with his gray hair and wise blue eyes, reached over and gently pulled the two men out of harms way while two others, Porthos, another retired and wealthy musketeer and Aramis, a retired musketeer turned priest, watched from the other side of him. The men and boy looked around in confusion at their seemingly paused surroundings.

"W-What's going on?" The boy, Philippe, stuttered nervously.

"Is this supposed to happen?"

"I do not think so…" Athos responded, his voice revealing his puzzlement. Aramis strode over to the frozen King, waving a hand in front of his face impudently.

"Just as I thought.." He muttered to himself, thinking he had spoken low enough not to be heard. However, Porthos was standing quite close to him and had heard every word.

"What is as you thought Aramis?" Aramis gave a slight start when Porthos spoke, turning to see his comrades watching him expectantly.

"Everyone is frozen. Although, I don't know why.."

"I do." A familiar voice echoed through room, laughter badly hidden beneath it.

"Who are you?!" D'Artagnan demanded.

"Show yourself!" The voice sighed.

"If you want.." A transparent young man walked forward wearing a uniform of the French military, his curly brown hair standing up a mess of tangles.

"Raoul! But how..?" Athos began but stopped when his deceased, ghostly son raised his hand.

"Later father. Right now, I have something you must see. It is of great importance."

"Oh really?" Porthos said, a defiant challenge written all over his face.

"And why should we listen to you?"

"Because if you don't then your future descendants are the ones that will pay the price!" Raoul shouted, his eyes narrowed with anger. Porthos slowly backed away from the young man, moving to stand behind Athos in hopes of protection.

"What do you want from us?"

"Your help. You see your descendants are on the verge of being unable to continue your bloodlines. If that happens…" His voice broke as if the next thought was too horrible to even consider.

"Look, I'm not going to explain it all to you. If you want to help then we have to get the queen and leave right now!"

"Hold on! What does Anne have to do with this?" D'Artagnan asked, not knowing he had slipped up. The others took no notice as they waited for Raoul to answer.

"She holds a key part in this as well. She should be here any minute now." Roual was right. For not a couple minutes later, Queen Mother Anne burst through the double doors at the end of the stone hallway, her hair askew in her haste.

"Now that we're all here, let's go!" Raoul snapped his fingers and everything flashed white as he took them forward to their futures.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_The musketeers are not mine! Although I wish! Anyhow, only Lisa, Mike, Mitch & Amelio are mine. I'll explain later. Italics are people in the future. Bold will be the musketeers thoughts. Regular words are the musketeers, Raoul, Philippe & Anne_

The light slowly faded as everything began to take shape. Raoul watched as the others rubbed at their eyes in hopes of holding off the glare of light. Porthos was the first to look up.

"Where the hell are we?!" They seemed to be standing on some hard, silvery surface, the walls all around them a bright white. Funny looking chairs were placed in rows about the room, most of them empty except the ones facing a door at the far end. Three of these chairs were occupied by men. Three others held a child's coat each. The men were frantically speaking and one stood up to pace.

"Welcome to the future everybody. This is only a portion of what we've come to see. We are in a hospital. It's a building where doctors and their assistants, called nurses, work. Anyone can come here medical help. Not just those of royalty or with connections to royalty." The party of six nodded and waited for the next move.

"Come on. We have to go down to that end of the room." Raoul turned and headed towards the only people in sight. The men and the children's coats. As they approached, words began to form, first in broken pieces then in full sentences.

"_I hope they're alright. Michelle looked terrible." A blonde man was speaking to his comrades. The brown haired man on his left nodded. He had a black bandana wrapped around his head, pushing back his long hair._

"_Something was wrong with baby. She could feel it but because we were so tight on money, we couldn't get her checked out and you know Christophe would never take money from us." _

"_Let's just hope they both survive. The boys have been hoping for a baby sister for a long time now. Losing their aunt would be hard but losing the baby too? It would devastate them."_

"Who's Christophe and Michelle? What is this baby these men are talking about? And who in the world are they?!" D'Artagnan as firing questions so fast that Raoul couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"These men are some of your descendants. They are Athos, Porthos and Aramis and the two they are talking about is D'Artagnan and his wife.However, due to complications, the baby ends up without her mother."

"It's a girl?" Athos asked, his voice giving away his surprise.

"Yes it is. But these three here are not the ones I'm worried about. It's the boys they've mentioned. They're right over there at that little table."

Three boys, all of them no older than ten, were sitting on their knees playing cards. You could already see the resemblance between them and the musketeers.

"Are they… us? As in brought back to life?" Aramis, as a believer in God, thought that if you worthy enoughthen you get the chance to brought back to life.

"As a matter of fact, yes. You do get brought back." Raoul said with a smile. But as he looked at the door, his smile turned to a frown.

"Now shush. Looks like Christophe is coming out."

_A man who greatly resembled D'Artagnan's father walked out through a pair of double doors. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his face drained of all colour. His eyes were haunted and a semblance of fragility flitted across them. The other men stood at once and made their way over to him. Athos was the first to reach him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him to a chair._

"_Christophe, what happened? Is Michelle alright? And what of the baby?" _

_His mouth opened a few times but no sound came out. Tears began to slide down his face as he clenched and unclenched his fists is his lap. He jolted out of his seat and moved a couple of feet away from the others. They watched his every move from their re-seated positions. _

"_There was so much blood… It wouldn't stop. The baby… she was all red and… the screaming, the cries of help…. I couldn't save her.. I couldn't…" He broke down in tears, dropping to his knees on the floor. Porthos walked over and helped Christophe to his feet. The man's hands were quaking with shock. _

While everyone was watching the men, Philippe slipped over to stand by the boys who were watching from afar and yet still heard every word. They knew what their uncle was talking about. They knew their aunt had died.

"_Aunt Michelle is dead." The blonde boy stated grimly. Little Aramis looked up at his blonde companion._

"_Does this mean that our sister is dead too?" Little Athos looked down. _

"_I don't know Amelio. I really don't know. I hope that she isn't though. What about you Mitch? What do you think?"_

_Little Porthos looked over at him, his face blank. He just shrugged. _

"_Who knows? But fate always screws us over so this is really nothing new." _

Anne looked around for her son while the musketeers were busy peppering Raoul with questions. She spotted him by the children, just standing there, watching. Her heart went out to the youngsters as they waited in despair, even if they didn't show it all that well.

"_I want to know if our sister is ok." Amelio Aramis said, his voice laced with guilt at the thought, as if it was disrespectful to his aunt._

"_She's probably alright. It's not like the doctors don't know what they're doing." Little Athos put in, silencing Aramis._

Philippe made his way back over to the men and his mother, his head hung low, his chin touching his chest. Athos was the first to notice, other than Anne.

"Philippe, is everything alright? You seem a little… sad." Philippe shook his head.

"I'm fine Athos. Really. Just this… it's just getting to me that's all." Athos simply nodded.

"Quiet over there you two! They're talking again!" Aramis whispered fiercely.

"_Monsieur D'Artagnan?" A doctor had come out of the doors, his white trench coat swaying with every step. Christophe looked up at him, his eyes still shedding tears, the haunted look never fading._

"_Although we were unable to save your wife, which I hope you will accept my condolences for." He paused as the man nodded before he chose to continue. _

"_We were, however, able to stabilize the child. It's safe to say that she is a perfectly healthy little girl. She just, for some strange reason, turned while in the womb. Would you like to see her?"_

_Christophe stared at him for a moment before hopping to his feet and following the doctor out of the room. The others merely shook their heads. _

_Christophe paused by the door and looked back. He waved for them to come along. They glanced at each other for a minute before shouting to the boys to hurry along so they could see their newborn sister and fourth musketeer._

Raoul snapped his fingers again and everything vanished and the group were now standing in nothing but white space.

"What now Raoul? Aren't we going to see the baby?"

"It's not necessary. We should be moving on."

"No way! We want to see this kid that has all of them so worked up!" Porthos shouted, the others nodding their agreement to his words.

"Raoul, would you please take us back? Just for a bit? Jut so we can see how they react to the baby and she is?" Anne's quiet but strong voice put in hopefully.

Raoul gave a soft sigh and thought of arguing with her but he could never say no to a beautiful woman. Least of all, the queen herself.

"Alright. But only for a few minutes! After that, we must be on our way! We've got much more to see!"

He waved his hand and everything returned.

"Like I said, please make this fast."

They nodded and took off through the doors. They didn't even notice that they went right through them, that the doors didn't open.

"Next thing they'll ask me is how come they haven't been spotted yet. Just wait and see." Raoul muttered to himself before following along at a slower pace.


	3. Chapter 3

-1_Chapter 3_

_Musketeers are not mine. For further details, go back a chapter_

**Bold Musketeers thoughts**

_Italics future people_

Regular words musketeers, Raoul, Anne & Philippe

Athos skidded to a halt outside of a room with a glass window in the wall, allowing the visitors to be viewed. The others crashed into his back, knocking him off balance. They group landed in a mass of tangled body parts on the floor, all shouting and squirming to be free.

Raoul swaggered forward, trying hard to keep from laughing at their predicament. He couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face.

"I should have told you not to run but now… I'm glad I didn't!" He choked out as they all gave him a death glare. Anne slipped out from the pile and stood up to watch the people in the room as they observed the tiny being wrapped in a pink blanket.

She didn't even notice as she walked right through the wall. She peered down over the shoulder of the baby's father in hopes of getting a better look.

_Christophe held the tiny girl in his arms, her warm, frail body curled up tightly against his chest. He smiled down at the little life he helped to create._

"_You certainly are beautiful little one." He said his eyes shimmering with tears. Athos put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Porthos stood off to the side with the boys. Aramis was sitting a chair to the left of Christophe. _

"_Uncle can I hold her?" Little Athos said hopefully, the other boys at his shoulders hoping for a closer look at their baby sister. _

"_Sure. Mind her head." He helped him position his hands so she was secure in his arms then sat back and watched. She immediately curled into him, seeking warmth. The boy smiled as he watched her._

Anne had been so busy watching the touching scene that she felt before she saw D'Artagnan reach over and take her hand. She looked over at him with a smile. The others glanced at each other before turning back to the scene before them.

"_Hey there little sis. I'm your big brother Mike. I hope I'll be of some use to you." He said then kissed her tiny forehead, sealing his promise. _

"_No one will ever hurt you. I promise." The others didn't hear his words as he had whispered them to the tiny girl. He kissed her forehead once more then gently passed her to Porthos who, after watching Athos, cradled her almost perfectly with a couple of minor adjustments. _

"_Hey there kiddo. I'm Mitch, another brother of yours. I'm going to be the one who drives you crazy when you're old enough to understand what I'm saying." He gently squeezed her in a hug then gave her to Aramis._

"_Hi there. I'm your youngest oldest brother. That's kind of confusing but you'll get it soon enough. I hope I'll be able to do right by you." He performed an invisible cross as you would on the dead then gave her back to her father. _

The others watched with a smile. Anne even had a tear rolling down her face at the sweetness the boys showed to their new sister.

"They really do love that little girl don't they?" Philippe said in awe. He wasn't used to seeing such displays of affection.

"They certainly do. You'll be seeing just how much in the near future." Raoul said with a sigh. He already knew how much they cared for each other.

"Raoul, there's something you are not telling us. What is the matter?" Athos looked in shock at D'Artagnan, wondering how he had caught on to that before did. Raoul looked at all of them for a moment before turning away.

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all." He muttered. The scene before them began to fade and change shape as Raoul wished to be in a different place. His mind was solely focused on getting past the tragedies and straight to the point and he would have got to where he wanted to go if Porthos hadn't put his hand on his shoulder, startling him from his revelry.

"If it's alright with you, we want to see what going to go wrong. Why not let us be the judge?" Raoul slumped his shoulders but nodded none the less.

_It was midday. The sun was at its high noon point, the heat creating shimmering waves in the air. A child's laughter pierced the summer silence._

"_Catch me if you can Athos! Bet you can't!" A five year old girl shouted as she ran past the musketeers in her haste to escape her sibling. A handsome, blonde fifteen year old boy ran from the house, set for a chase across the uneven field in the high summer heat. _

"_I'll get you yet Lisa D'Artagnan! Get back here you cocky little snot!" He exclaimed as he rushed after the tiny girl, beads of sweat slipping down his brow and along his face. He panted in exhaustion and anger, bending over to grasp his knees so as to keep himself standing. _

"_I'll… get… you. Get back… here... right now!" He shouted from his spot. Lisa just stood many feet away, her tiny arms crossed and foot tapping on the hard ground as she waited for him to chase her again._

"My aren't they pleasant with each other. Why does he look like he is about to murder her?" Aramis questioned, his voice plainly laced with sarcasm.

"He's just a little angry at her. Don't worry about it. She's just bored and when she gets bored, she ticks people off for a bit of excitement. Also, as you have probably already guessed, she's five at this point." Raoul said, clearing up the matter.

_Athos heaved a sigh and turned to head back to the house, his body just about to collapse. Lisa watched as he left her out there, her throat starting to go dry from lack of fluids. She tried to stand her ground but soon gave up and headed for the house as well to apologize. _

The others watched as the little girl headed home before rounding on Raoul.

"So you're showing us the bond between them for a reason right? Or do you have another secret hidden somewhere?" Athos said, a hint of anger and betrayal in his voice. Raoul visibly flinched at his father's words but waited while the others fired questions and sarcastic comments.

"Actually there is a point to this, but why don't you wait and see?" Raoul clapped his hands and it was suddenly night time. They were standing inside a rather large house, lights out and all was quiet except for one room. They headed up the stairs to find a room with light seen from under the crack in the door. A sound of muffled music filtered through the door as well as laughter. They walked through the door to see three boys and one little girl divided up, two sitting on one and the other two on the other. A bed was above the one with two boys sitting on it. A strange machine was lit up and seemed to be playing the music that the four them were listening and singing to. The youngest was curled up in her eldest brother's lap, slowly falling asleep to the music and the sounds of her three brother's melodic singing.

"_Tired D'Artagnan?" Athos whispered to his tiny sibling._

"_No." She said, stifling a tiny yawn. _

"_Not sleepy." He smiled at her drowsy voice and steadily shutting eyes. _

"_I think someone needs to go to bed Athos." A brown haired boy in black pyjamas muttered. _

"_Good idea Aramis." The blonde nodded as he spoke and gently shifted the girl from his lap to his arms with ease. She snuggled up against him, her petite hand clasping a piece of his shirt. He smiled as he nudged open her bedroom door with his hip, trying to keep the girl steady in his arms. He held her with one arm as pulled the covers back then laid her down to sleep. As he covered her up, he gave a kiss on the forehead, wishing her a good night before tiptoeing out of the room. _

"I never thought I see Athos's soft side." Porthos muttered sarcastically. He yelped when Athos clouted him in the back of the head. Anne stood over Lisa, watching her sleep. D'Artagnan came up behind her and gripped her hand, watching over her shoulder.

"Raoul was right about one thing. Athos really cares about the well being of this little girl. Kind of sounds like what you have told me about how these three all treated you. They were patient with you as you were learning during your adventure, they would rescue you when you were in danger. Almost like the ones in this time." He nodded in agreement.

"I don't want to see what horrible thing happens to these kids. They don't deserve any of the heartache." Anne bowed her head at his words. She completely agreed with him on this. They didn't deserve any of the pain Raoul had said they will go through.

_The scene before them rapidly changed from calm to terrifying in minutes. Orange, red and yellow flames leapt up the walls, licking at curtains and shattering windows in their ever increasing heat. Lisa screamed in fear as she tried to get to the door but realised that the fire had blocked her way. The flames were taller than her and was choking up the air with its thick, heavy smoke. The door to her room smashed open, Aramis standing on the other side. Lisa saw him through the flames and reached out with her tiny arms, ever screaming for his help. He moved from side to side, desperately trying to find an opening._

"_Hang on kid! I'm going to get you out of here! Don't worry!" He found an open shoot and jumped through just as it closed up behind him a couple of seconds later. Lisa streached up as he reached her and he scooped her up off of the ground, carrying her to the window. He raised a boot covered foot and kicked what little of the glass remained out of the frame. Using a fair bit of balancing, he slid out the window just as the fire reached where he had just been. Lisa stared in fearful wonderment as the fire spread, Aramis still holding her close. As he reached the edge of the roof, he looked down to see Athos and the other brown haired boy, Porthos, waiting for him to jump, a small tarp held over the space between them. _

"_Jump Aramis!" Porthos shouted. _

"_Jump and we'll catch both of you on this!"_

_He looked back at the flames then jumped from the high roof. He hit the tarp hard and sent the other two flying face first into the ground._

"_Is everyone ok?" Athos asked. Lisa had buried her face into Aramis's shoulder, sobbing in terror. _

"_There now Lisa. It's ok. You're safe now." Aramis said as he rubbed small, soothing circles on her back, _

"_Shh…. You're ok. You're not hurt. Everybody's ok." _

Raoul looked at the others and saw tears in their eyes, a few trailing down Anne's cheeks.

"As you can see, they probably are not going to have a very easy life. This is one of many things we are going to try and prevent. Hopefully we will succeed."

"We have to Raoul." D'Artagnan said, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"We just have to."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

_A/N: sorry if any of the little French I used is wrong. I'm a little rusty. No flamers please. I would really appreciate it. Constructive critisism is welcome. Thank you to those who have reviewed. I enjoy that very much. Now, on to the next chapter!!_

_Italics are future people _

**Bold is musketeer thought**

Regular is musketeers, Raoul, Philippe & Anne

_**Bold italic is future people thoughts**_

Everything was white once more. Seven people were sitting on the floor in a circle, a piece of parchment laying in the middle with a few scribbled ideas on it.

"You can't be telling me that this is all you came up with?!" One of them shouted.

"Surely you think of something better to change the future?!"

"Raoul we are not very good at this. This is all so new to us. You have to give us some credit for even coming this far."

Raoul sighed and shook his head.

"Alright. We are wasting valuable time. Let's go to the next thing. This time, it'll be fifteen years ahead of the one we just saw."

"That means that they will be twenty and thirty right?" A young woman asked.

"That's right your Majesty. Shall we everyone?"

Light flashed and soon a room began to form. A sound of someone whistling was heard throughout the place. The group of seven looked around at the changed surroundings, the updated features. D'Artagnan made his way over to the mantel of a fireplace and scanned the photographs, even if he didn't know how exactly the people of the future had made such tiny paintings. They showed three boys and a girl outside of the Musketeer Headquarters, three of them dressed in full uniform and the girl clad in civilian attire. She looked to be about twelve. The next skipped ahead to her blonde brother and herself, both in uniforms, back to back with their swords out. The last one was a group shot of the four of them outside of the headquarters once again except all of them were in uniform and had their swords out, the tips pointing at the ground and criss-crossing with the others.

"My have they changed. I take it they are all musketeers?" Raoul looked over at him.

"I see you have found the photos. You're right. They are all musketeers and some of the best that there is." D'Artagnan smiled

'**Now why doesn't that surprise me?'**

Suddenly Porthos gave a very crude whistle, startling everybody in the vicinity.

"Check it out! Someone in this place certainly has good taste!" What Porthos was staring at was a young, brown haired beauty of about twenty years of age. She had her hair hanging in loose waves about her heart shaped face, her blue eyes sparking with mischief and spunk. The way she held herself said she was a fighter and that she took no bull from anybody. They watched as she flopped down on a couch and pulled out a book.

"Who is that? She's cute." Porthos was practically drooling. Even Athos couldn't help but look over at her. Raoul bit at his lip and choked on his own laughter. He started tearing up as he held it in and yet again, he failed to smother it.

"That's Lisa D'Artagnan!" He burst out in laughter. Porthos turned deathly pale and excused himself. He walked right through a wall and they could hear him being violently sick outside. When he came back in, he was wiping at his mouth with his sleeve, his eyes very wide.

"I can't believe I said any of that." He muttered darkly, violently wringing his hands.

"Don't worry about it. I was in shock the first time I saw her too. It's surprising to see how much people grow in a matter of fifteen years. Strange to see isn't it?" D'Artagnan didn't say anything. His face was still contorted into a look of disgust that had been present since Porthos had spoke. Suddenly, there was a the sound of door opening in another part of the house.

"_Lisa? You here sis?" _

"_In the Living room Athos!" _

_A man of about thirty walked around the corner, blonde hair rumpled by his hat, his uniform wrinkled from the day's fights. His blue eyes flickered with an adventurous light, his stature giving off an air of nobility. He leaned against the door frame, just watching his sibling as she read._

"_Good book?" She started slightly before twisting her body so she could look at him._

"_Would I be reading it otherwise?" She countered a triumphant smirk on her pretty face. _

"_I've just never taken you as the reading type before is all. When did this start?" She raised an eyebrow at him._

"_You obviously don't know as much as you think Athos. I do this on a regular basis. I'm not all fencing and shooting and horseback riding you know." He gave her a sceptical look before shrugging his shoulders and turning away. _

"_Whatever you say kid. But this still isn't like you." They watched her as she listened to her brother's footsteps as he headed upstairs to change. Lisa rolled her eyes in annoyance but bit her tongue and returned to her reading._

"_Hey! Is anybody home?!" A loud voice called_

"_Hi Porthos." She said without even bothering to look up. Another man walked in, his hands on his hips, his brown hair pushed back by a bandana. His large body took up the doorway and blocked it with a wall of muscle and an oversized ego. He eyed the girl in suspicion as if she was about to lash out at him._

"_Since when do you read on your days off?" She cursed under her breath and refrained from returning a snappy remark. He snorted then turned away to head upstairs._

"_Fine. Ignore me you little upstart."_

"_At least I'm not a walking trashcan."_

_The heard thundering footsteps as he rushed back into the living room, his face like a storm cloud. He looked ready to kill._

"_What did you just call me?!" She glance at him over her shoulder before going back to her book._

"_You heard me. Or are you now so deaf that wouldn't even hear a foghorn?" She jibbed. He steadily grew angrier, his face turning red with his rage._

"_When I get back downstairs you'll wish you had kept your mouth shut pup!" She snorted._

"_Like I'm scared of you Porthos. Now go get changed because really man, you reek something fierce!" He looked at her affronted before giving a haughty sniff and turning away._

_A couple minutes later, another boy walked in but slowly came up behind Lisa. Once he reached her, he covered her eyes with his hands. _

"_Guess who sister." She sighed._

"_Well it's about time Aramis. I was beginning to think you weren't coming home." He smiled at her in reassurance. _

"_Put those worries to rest mon petite soeur. I'm not going anywhere." _

"_I know we're French but do you have to put it in part way through your sentences on a regular basis?" _

"_Why? You don't like the way I talk now it that it?" He had a hurt look on his face._

"_What? I just said it's annoying not that I didn't like it. Wait…" She paused in thought._

"_Did that even make sense?"_

_He shook his head then turned out into the hall. Lisa watched him leave before going back to her book. A loud ringing sound filled the air. Her face turned stony, his body shaking in anger at the disruption. _

_"Now who the hell is at the door?!" She flung open the door to three men, one blonde and two brunettes. They had a very wicked sense about them. Lisa turned pale as a sheet and slammed the door in their malicious faces, her heart pounding from fear._

"_I did not just see that. They were not at the door. They didn't just see that I am home." A knock rang in her ears as they tried to get her to open the door again. _

"_Lisa? Could you get that?" Athos called down from the upper floors. Lisa gulped and looked at her hands, her fingers shaking._

"_O-ok Athos. I got it." She stammered and reopened the door._

"_Well good afternoon Lisa. You do know what day it is don't you?" The one dressed in all black said, his voice cold and smooth. She nodded, her fingernails digging into the metal of the doorknob. _

"_Well then, come with us and give your payment. You know how this works. You've been doing this for three months now." A red clad man with a crocodile smile said to the other man's left. She nodded again, her cheeks seeming to tinge with green. The blonde reached over and caressed her cheek with his hand. Her face was expressionless but her eyes revealed her disgust._

"_That's a good girl. Be a proper Musketeer and deal with this yourself. You wouldn't want anything happening to your precious brothers would you?" Her eyes widened in terror as she shuddered once more. _

"_Athos! I'm going out for a few hours. I'll be back by supper."_

"_Alright Lisa. Be careful out there! And take your sword!"_

_She grabbed her sword hanging on a hook by the door and stuffed it in the closet to hide it. She grabbed a thin jacket and left with the men._

"What was that about? She looked… terrified." Aramis said, worry lacing his voice.

"That's because she was. She made a deal with these men three months back in order to protect the lives of her brothers. Her payment is… rather despicable because it's something she would never do willingly."

Anne looked at Raoul, her eyes sad.

"You mean to say that she is being forced to… be a wench to these horrible men?" Raoul looked at her, his eyes dull.

"Unfortunately yes Your majesty. That is true."

Athos spun around, his face twisted in disgust.

"That is just sick. That girl is only twenty. This shouldn't be happening."

Raoul clapped his hands. They were now outside of a large metal building. The sun was beginning to set. The group of four walked around a corner, Lisa boxed between the three of them. She looked positively green in sickness.

"_We're here pretty one. It's time for your payment. Let's go!" Lisa whimpered and dug her heels into the ground as they shoved her in. She grabbed the door frame and squeaked as they dug their nails into her hands so as to pry them off. They soon gave up and man in black gave a swift kick to the small of her back. The shock of pain forced her to let go and collapse inside. The rest of them slipped inside and shut the door, locking them in total darkness. One of them lit a couple of blue lights, casting a moonlight glow over her body on the floor. The man in red scooped her off of the floor and laid her on a bed with no covers. _

"_So who goes first this time guys?" _

"_I will Richelieu. You had her first last month." He crawled over to her unconscious form and gently traced her frame._

"I can't watch this. Raoul get us out of here. Now!" D'Artagnan shouted, his voice laced with venom. When everything had gone white, he began to pace in furious circles.

"I know it was not a pleasant sight but this is the future. It is something that you just get used to." Aramis looked over at him before picking up by his front collar and hoisting him off the ground.

"Listen Raoul. No one deserves to be treated like. Man or woman. Now…" He paused as he lowered him to the ground.

"How do we fix this mess?" Raoul smiled. He'd finally gotten a reaction he had hoped for.

"We change it. That's all there is to it. But thing is… we have to figure out what to change in the past that will have enough effect on the future."

A scene began to form. A degraded and violated Lisa D'Artagnan was stumbling in the door of her home, her hair mussed, lips swollen, bites marks on almost every revealed part of her skin.

_It was dark when she slipped inside. She was quiet as mouse until she bent over to try and untie her shoes. She let out a high whimper as a feeling of pain spread along her spine. A light flicked on from the other end of the hall. Lisa used her had to shield her eyes so as to see who turned on the light. At the other end of the hall was Athos._

"_Well Lisa it's nice that you've finally come home." She hid her face from him, trying to block the feeling of his searching eyes. She heard his footsteps as he came towards her. _

"_Lisa. Please turn around." She didn't move, her face still turned away from him._

"_I'm not mad at you. I was just worried. Please just turn around." She couldn't resist the pleading in his voice. She turned around and looked him in the eye. He went white. His shaking hands came up and cupped her face, fingers gently skinning her still tender bruises. _

"_What happened to you?" She didn't respond but let a couple tears leak out in shame._

"_Tell me!" He demanded, gripping her bitten shoulders. She let out a hiss. He pulled away slowly._

"_Hold still." He pushed the shirt down over her shoulder, gently so as to not cause any more harm. He gaped at the marks encircling her shoulder blade. _

"_Lisa why didn't you tell us this was happening?" _

"_Because if I did, they would kill you."_

"_Who's they? Who did this to you?!" She wept silently, her frail frame quaking. He pulled into a gentle hug, rubbing smooth circles on her back, his other hand scratching her scalp. She buried herself into his warmth and just wept. _

"_It's ok kiddo. Don't worry. We'll fix this you'll see. This will never happen again. I promise you."_

Raoul heard a sniffle. D'Artagnan quickly wiped his eyes without shame. Athos gripped his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He looked up at him, his eyes reflecting his despair.

"No I'm not. My descendant lives a living hell and not matter what the others do, they can't reverse it. It isn't right Athos. It's just not right."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_**A/N: I do not own the musketeers, Raoul, Philippe or Anne. I do own the people of the future though. Also, more reviews would be appreciated. To those who have reviewed, many thanks. It's because of people like you that I continue this story.**_

**Bold musketeer thoughts**

_Italics Future people_

_**Bold italics future people thoughts**_

Regular words Musketeers, Raoul, Philippe & Anne

The scene changed once more. It was daytime. It was cloudy. And it was rather warm. All clues pointed to an oncoming storm and yet, there were musketeers still doing their patrols of the grounds and city. The group from the past observed in silence as three musketeers walked around a corner deep in conversation.

"_I just don't get it. Why would these people go after her? I mean, she hasn't done anything to induce someone's wrath right?" A young man said, a cross hanging in plain sight around his neck. The blonde shrugged._

"_You expect me to know? I'm pretty sure we don't know half of the things she does when we're not around. Most of this we probably don't want to know. But that's not the point." He paused and waited until they had passed a crowded merchant's stall before continuing. _

"_I'm more worried about her. She still won't stop to heal and it's only been a few days since she got those wounds. Everyone's noticed but thank god they haven't said anything."_

"_Well of course they haven't said anything Athos! You wouldn't either if you knew what was good for you!" Athos blinked at the rather large man on his other side._

"_What do mean Porthos? Surely she isn't that bad." He shook his head._

"_You always were blind when it came to her. Those who have mentioned anything have been found beaten half to death or have been threatened with castration and had it almost followed through. Like I said, I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you." Athos gave him a defiant look. _

"_That doesn't sound like her. I'm pretty sure you are exaggerating. Lisa would never beat someone up just for something so damn trivial."_

_They rounded the corner, not even noticing the multitude of storm clouds gathering overhead._

"These three are obviously worried. But why would she be so stupid as to keep working with such injuries?" Aramis asked, not expecting an answer.

"Probably because it would look strange if she didn't show up at all I guess." Porthos said with a shrug. Athos looked on with a blank expression, his eyes flickering with thought.

"Raoul, do they ever dispose of these menaces?" Anne questioned hopefully.

"That they do Your Majesty. Them and a lot more evils in Paris." She nodded but looked a little thoughtful, as if she was contemplating what other evils they would have to face. The small group watched as the weather changed drastically, strong winds ripping open shutters and sending them flying, rain flooding the city streets sending the people of Paris scurrying for any possible shelter.

_The three men took off at a run, their uniforms dragging them down with rain water, wincing every time thunder crashed overhead. They rounded a couple of blocks before they were within spotting distance of Musketeer Headquarters._

"_Come on guys! We're almost there! Just a bit further!" By the time they got to the gates, they were halfway closed in a futile attempt to block some of the wind and rain. The three of them rolled through the mud and under the gap. Aramis just made it before they dropped the gate with a crash. _

_They quickly made their way indoors, their uniforms dripping all over the Entrance Hall, much like the rest of the drenched corps of Musketeers. They stood there and panted to catch their breath, stripping out of their uniforms and just tossing them on the ground in a heap._

"_I hate rain. It's cold, it's wet and no matter what you do, it always gets through your clothes." Porthos said as he pulled off his boots and tipped them over, a stream of water flowing out of them. _

"_You're not alone there Porthos." Aramis said as he wrung out his hat, sending a splash of water into Porthos's boots again. _

"_Aramis, watch what you're doing man! I just emptied those!" Athos shook his head at Porthos's childish behaviour before taking a quick glance out the window. His eyes went wide. He watched as the storm pounded those on the battlements, choking them with its unstoppable flow._

"_Treville better pull those guards off duty soon before they drown. There's going to be a lot of people missing tomorrow at this rate." _

_Captain De Treville stood on the stairs, looking over his sopping wet Musketeers. He eyed various groups, trying to pick out the best one to go out and call in the wall guards. He spotted Athos, Porthos and Aramis near the entrance and made his way over. When they saw him, they stood at attention._

"_How would you three like to do a little job for me?" Porthos glanced over at the other two._

"_As long as we don't have to go outside, then why not?" Treville gave a rueful smile._

"_Unfortunately, that is exactly what I want you to do. I want you three to head back out there and round up the wall guards." They looked at each and gave a resounding "No!" _

_Treville stared them down and soon, they found themselves outside in plastic rain coats, a closed glass lantern in Aramis's hand._

"_Let's get this over with gentlemen. The sooner we do, the sooner we can try and get dry." Their job wasn't that hard. Most of the guards had abandoned their posts and fled inside, leaving a scarce few still standing. They had already made their way around three walls when a bolt of lightening struck the wooden walkway. It collapsed silently, a boom of thunder drowning out the sound of falling boards. _

"_Everyone alright?" The three of them had fallen back with shockwaves of the blast. The others nodded, albeit a little shakily. _

"_Let's just check this wall real quick then get back inside. This is getting to be too dangerous." Athos took the lantern and slowly made his way to the destroyed part of the bridge. Porthos and Aramis stayed as close to him as they could, holding the edges of his raincoat should another bolt strike. Athos peered down over the edge and almost dropped the lantern. _

"_Lisa! Hang on kid! We'll pull you up!" Athos put the lantern down in the shelter of a cement block then reached forward to grab the remaining part of the bridge. Porthos and Aramis soon joined him and they slowly pulled up the wreckage with Lisa clinging to the very bottom board, helpless and resembling a drowned rat. They almost had it up when another bolt struck, set the soaked wood aflame, sizzling and sparking. They had no choice but to drop it. It jerked so hard that most of the burnt boards and toppled to the ground, just barely missing Lisa. _

The group watched in a horrified fascination, fingers crossed, hoping that they got out alive. Aramis was clutching his cross, whispering hurried prayers for the people of the future.

"Hang in there you kids." D'Artagnan muttered.

"Hang in there."

_Athos growled and lunged for the rope which was hot to the touch. He yelped and blew on his hands for a second before reaching forward again and grabbing the sizzling rope. Small clouds of steam came up, blocking their view of the ground. Lisa clung to the rope, looking down at the smoggy ground in thought. She glanced up then back down again. She swung her head back around so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. _

"_Athos! Get off the bridge! It's going to-" Too late. The wood broke under him and both of them dropped, landing in a heap on the ground. Athos crawled over to her and shook her shoulder. She rolled over and looked up at him with a smile._

"_Hey Athos. Nice of you to drop in!" He couldn't help but smile back at the irony. She looked back over his shoulder, eyes going wide. She pushed him off of her then threw herself over his body as a multitude of boards fell on top of them, burying them under their suffocating weight. _

Anne's shaking hands reached up and covered her gaping mouth, her face having gone white a while back. The guy's eyes were wide and bright. Philippe had taken a couple of steps closer to the mess. He turned to Raoul.

"Are they alright?" Raoul looked a bit uncertain, as if he couldn't quite remember what happened next.

"Raoul, are they alright?" Raoul shook his head in confusion. He just didn't remember this happening. But then again, he only visited the times of importance and not much else. He never remembered coming to this memory at all.

Athos observed his son's confusion with mixed emotions. He was a little upset that he didn't think this valued enough to be remembered but on the other hand, he really didn't care either. What did it matter that D'Artagnan's descendant had just saved his own by putting herself in front of danger as a shield for his? What was the point of this anymore? These kids suffered and it hurt to watch but everyone had their own problems and they should just deal with them and move on. He watched as Raoul struggled to answer Philippe's question, his voice very uncertain.

"I… believe so Philippe. I'm quite sure that… they make it out alive." Athos shook his head. That was a pitiful answer. Philippe's eyes reflected his feelings on the matter. Disappointment that Raoul didn't care enough about this to actually remember and hope that he was right, no matter how pitiful the response was.

The Queen was still trembling. It was terrifying to watch as your own flesh and blood was beaten and hurt and there was nothing you could do about it.

D'Artagnan looked a little green .He was soon going to be sick from despair at all the misery of the future. And he had thought his time was bad.

Porthos was, for once, giving this a fair bit of thought. It was strange to see such devotion from two very different people. One was quiet and reserved while the other was a fighter and enjoyed just causing mayhem. However, when one was in trouble, it was also kind of interesting to watch. He had never seen such a soft side from either one of them.

Aramis had the roll of parchment out and was scribbling down stuff that needed to be changed. His list was just getting longer and would soon be as long as Porthos was tall as he was writing down everything needed in great detail.

_The other two soon leapt from the battlements and began digging through the rubble in hopes of salvaging their friends. However, they didn't notice as more of the bridge loosened without that one part. Soon, the crossbeam that held it place snapped and more wreckage tumbled down and buried the remaining of the four. _

_Two people ran out of the main building and over to the mess, still wearing their uniforms and not even bothering to put on anything to stop from getting wetter. One of them was Treville. The other was an unknown musketeer. _

"_Hurry up Antonio! For all we know, they could already be dead!" The other musketeer, Antonio, began digging furiously, as did Treville, in hopes of uncovering their four fellows, buried and probably injured. _

"_Captain! I think I found one!" Treville hurried over and helped him dig out Porthos. He had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. _

"_Come on. Let's pull him out." They struggled with his size as they pulled him free. _

"_Antonio. Head back inside and get some others out here to get them inside. Go fast!" He turned back to start digging. Muffled yells sounded from the pile as Treville continued to dig._

"_Help!! Get… out… here!" _

"_Hold on! I've almost got you!" Treville wrenched back a board of solid oak to find a heavily bleeding Lisa and a semi- conscious Athos._

"_Antonio! Call an ambulance! Quick!"_

The musketeers watched in horror as a large white box on wheels came and people got out, pulling a long, white, bedlike thing. They lifted Lisa out of the wreckage and laid her on the white thing as gently as possible. Her breath came out in pained gasps, a shallow gash in her forehead slowly staining the pillow red. They saw as Aramis was pulled from the mess, battered and bruised but mostly unharmed. They saw him and an awakened Porthos straining to hold back a fully revived Athos as he tried to get to her. They saw him break away and fall to the ground when his leg wouldn't hold his weight. They saw the whole terrible aftermath firsthand. And they would never forget their unmistakable and unforgettable expressions of terror and admiration.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to my latest reviewer Nicollaney. This chapter is dedicated to you. Hope you like it!**

**Bold: Musketeer thoughts**

_Italics: Future people_

_**Bold italics: Future people's thoughts**_

Regular words: Musketeers, Raoul, Philippe & Anne

"What is with the constant changing?!" D'Artagnan demanded angrily. Raoul simply looked at him, his face blank.

"It's just so we can get through this faster. The sooner we get to the main reason I brought you here, the sooner we can fix it." D'Artagnan looked at him for a minute before shaking his head to clear the dizziness.

"Don't worry. It'll all be worth it in the end." Raoul glanced over his shoulder at the others as they were talking.

"Let's join the others shall we? I think it's about time you find out how far we are in the future."

_It was a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. The sweeping lawns of the musketeer headquarters were ruffled slightly by the light breeze that seemed to bring with it a sense of calm. That is, until a clash of swords brought an end to the peace. Four people were out in the middle of the lawns, two of them seemed to be having a practice in fencing. Three of these people were male. _

"_Come on kid! Surely you can do better than that?!" The male's opponent took a angered swipe at the other as punishment for its taunt but drastically missed and rolled on the ground._

"_I hoped that all that time in the hospital wouldn't have affected your skills with a sword but I guess I was very wrong." _

As the others drew closer they realised that it was Athos and D'Artagnan who were clashing swords, only one of them panting heavily.

"_You have gotten very sloppy D'Artagnan. You need to find your stance, whichever one gives you the most balance. You have to be able to have your weight working with you, not helping your opponent. Now up on your feet. We are nowhere near finished yet." _

_Athos stared down at the pale, weakened form of the girl he considered his baby sister. Her bruises from a previous assault still stood out lividly on her face, most of them now a sickly green colour. It unfortunately reminded him of the colour of vomit. Her sword was laying on the ground beneath her spread palm, her face dripping with sweat from the heat and physical exertion. Her lack of recent physical activity showed itself as she steadily seemed be taken down easier than the last round. _

"_I said get up D'Artagnan. I'm doing this for your own good. Get up! Now!" He rapped her leg smartly with his sword and barely dodged the blow she aimed at his head. He gave a satisfied smirk before raising his sword into an upright position. She crossed hers with his and they began again. Athos was the one to lose his footing as he was slowly backed into a corner. In an instant, D'Artagnan stuck the point of her sword in the ground and leapt at Athos, teeth bared and fists clenched as fury swept through her blood. _

_Athos's eyes went wide as he rolled to avoid her assault to his person and he swung his sword, nicking her on the chin ever so slightly. It wasn't enough to deter her however and she was soon back at him, clashing her sword against his in what seemed to be a never ending fight. Athos didn't notice her foot swing at him until it caught him in the ribs and knocked the wind from him. The grip on his sword loosened and she was quick to disarm him after a sharp jab at his fingers, causing him to recoil and drop his sword. She whipped her sword point to his throat, as she bent to pick up his fallen sword. _

_Applause sounded in the distance. Porthos and Aramis were sitting on the stairs, amused smiles on their faces at their friend's loss. Athos looked over at them and glared._

"_It is not funny you two!"_

"_Oh quite the contrary Athos! It is hilarious!" Porthos boomed, his laughter deep and loud. Aramis gave a soft chuckle which he was quick to smother with a cough when Athos looked his way. D'Artagnan slowly lowered her sword and extended a hand in silence, a peace offering to save him further humiliation. Athos pushed it away and snatched his sword from her grasp before storming back inside. His cheeks were slightly tinged pink in embarrassment at his recent loss. He didn't see her as she watched him head inside, the other two following and leaving her to her own devices. _

_She returned her sword to her sheath before raising a hand to her mouth and gripping a finger of her glove between her teeth. She yanked it off and repeated the same process with the next one before taking a walk to the stable in the western part of the courtyard. Another musketeer was already there, just returning his borrowed horse to its paddock to rest. He turned to acknowledge her presence but froze when he saw her. His eyes went wide and his face slowly became to turn pink as he watched her. As she drew closer, he quickly averted his eyes until she had passed before following her with his eyes as she headed for a young, black colt at the far end of the stables. He wrung his hands as he watched her lead the horse out and saddled it as skilfully as a horse trainer._

_She paused when she felt his eyes boring into her back, her hands still holding the leather straps of the reins. She peered back over her shoulder curiously to see the other musketeer watching her carefully. She smirked as she slowly climbed on to the horse's back. _

"_You know Antonio, if you took a picture it would last longer." She said, her voice mischievous. She felt warm inside when she saw a faint blush appear on his cheeks. She rode the horse past him and out of the stable before breaking into a full gallop and taking off out of the gates and into the Paris streets for the beginning of the mid-afternoon patrols._

The musketeers watched as she rode off and turned a corner before vanishing from sight. Anne had a knowing smile on her face, her thoughts wandering to the recent predicament.

"She likes him you know." She said, speaking the very thing that everybody else had on their mind. D'Artagnan looked at her before giving a slow nod. Porthos shrugged before looking at Raoul.

"I thought you said we were going to find out what year this is? I don't see how this helps."

"That's because we haven't gotten there yet." He snapped back, his voice betraying his impatience

"Maybe this next one will show you."

_Athos sat staring at a wall, his brow creased in confusion. _

"_How the hell did she beat me?" He said to himself in disbelief. He held his head in his hands for a couple minutes before getting up and heading to the window. He saw a black colt and its skilful rider coming down the narrow street, a musketeer on patrol for the afternoon. He gave a soft smile of recognition as the rider passed under his viewpoint. _

"_Always on time aren't you youngling?" He watched as she froze, seeming to realize she was being observed. She scanned the windows in hopes of spotting her watcher. Then she chose to look up. He leaned over the railing so she could get a full look at him. He was happy to see that his guess was right. D'Artagnan stared up at him for another minute before gently touching the brim of her hat and taking off down the street to continue the patrol. He watched her form as she rounded a corner and left his vision. _

_As he turned to go back inside, he went towards a thing hanging on the wall and looked at it for a moment before taking it down, flipping a page and re-hanging it. He gave a satisfied nod before heading downstairs. _

The musketeers approached the thing on the wall, curiosity on their faces. They looked at the strange numbers for a bit, not understanding how this told people what day it was. Raoul stepped forward and took his time as he explained to them the uses of a calendar. They looked at him for a little while before Porthos gave a shout of shock.

"So this means we're in 2007? As in the 21st century?" Raoul smiled and nodded.

"Strange how long bloodlines last isn't it? It's a wonder that they did really… since I died before I could marry Christine and was never able to have her bear children…" He went quiet, pondering his situation. He gave a soft shrug as he gave up.

"I suppose that doesn't matter now. The lines survived and that's all that matters." He clapped his hands and everything went from day to night. The sounds of those people out drinking and partying was about the only sound in the streets. In front of them, the headquarters loomed almost menacingly, sending an involuntary shiver down their spines.

A person stood in the gateway, stepping from foot to foot in his anxiety. He was wearing the uniform of a musketeer.

"_Where are you kid? You should've been back from your patrol hours ago!" He stood there with a thin wooden board in his hand and strange, dark stick in the other. On the board was a stack of what looked like parchment except it was much brighter. _

"_Athos! What are you still doing out here?! I thought all of the patrols had already returned!" Porthos, Aramis and the young man Antonio came up behind the shivering Athos, wonderment etched on their faces. _

"_Not all of them came back. I've been out here for almost six hours getting reports from returning patrols and D'Artagnan never showed for her return time. That was four hours ago." They looked at each other in worry. Porthos spoke, his voice a little strained. _

"_Athos I'm sure she's fine. She probably just had a situation that took longer than she thought it would. If she doesn't make it back tonight then we'll probably see her bright and early tomorrow." Athos nodded reluctantly before turning to head inside to turn in the reports. The four of them left together, all of them in silent thought._

_Days passed. There had been no sign of D'Artagnan in the city since she'd left that afternoon. It was almost like she had just vanished from the face of the earth._

"_That's it! I'm heading out there and looking for her! This has gone on long enough!" Athos stormed out of the front doors and pounded his way to the stable when something, or rather someone, caught his eye coming in the front gate. Someone who looked, from a distance, to be dressed in red and riding a black colt._

_Athos stood there, watching as the person made their way towards him, his eyes trying to training themselves on the person's face. His looked on concentration turned to a look of shock as a blood covered D'Artagnan rode up and stopped alongside him._

"_What's the matter Athos? You look like you've seen a ghost." He just looked at her blood soaked form and that of the sweaty, heaving sides of the horse that bore her. He shook his head and regained he voice before starting to tear into her, her anger and worry easily noticeable. _

"_Where in all of Paris have been? You had us worried to death about you kid! You shouldn't be putting yourself out so much! You'll just make yourself sicker. And another thing, what is with all this blood? You're not hurt again are you? Those sick freaks didn't attack you again did they?" D'Artagnan was staring down at him, her face blank with exhaustion. Athos stopped shouting abruptly when he looked up at her and saw tears running down her blood crusted cheeks. He extended his hand and she gratefully took it as he helped her down from the horse's back. He stole the lead from her hand and walked him back into his paddock to rest. _

_When he had returned outside, she was still standing there. The blood was quickly drying on her lithe frame, her uniform now stained the same red as the past Cardinal's guard. Athos shook his head before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and steering her inside._

_The two of them were swarmed by the others as soon as they walked in. Porthos took her hat from her and turned it upside down to see a stream of blood drip out, making a puddle on the floor. Aramis left then came back when a couple bucket of water and a bag of sponges. His face was blank making it look as if he'd done this many times before. Antonio stood of the side awkwardly, his feet shifting before he chose to leave the room. He was just about to the door when a blood coated hand placed itself on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Athos looked down at him, even though he wasn't that much shorter. He let Athos steer him back over to the other where Porthos and Aramis were trying their hardest to get the blood off. D'Artagnan looked rather uncomfortable but didn't say a word as they tried to get her face and arms clean. _

_Porthos suddenly scooped her up and plopped her down in a chair so he could yank her boots off. As Aramis approached her with a clean sponge, she snatched it from him and resumed scrubbing her face. He stood over her for a minute before dropping to the ground to avoid a flying boot. Porthos growled in frustration before swiping the boot from the floor and scrubbed until the boot looked like nothing more than a mound of bubbles. _

_Athos and Antonio were quietly talking away from the scene, Antonio's face pleading and hopeful while Athos looked very put off. _

"This is very strange." Athos said as he watched them try to get the girl clean.

"Thank god we never had to do that right D'Artagnan?" Porthos said as he laughed at the girl's indignant face. D'Artagnan gave a strained smile at Porthos's attempt to lighten the mood. Phillippe watched with fascination as the girl started looking for an escape while the other four were preoccupied. They all laughed when she made a break for it and tried to jump out an open window but was crushed to the ground as they all dived on her.

She stood still when Athos, Porthos and Aramis each tossed a bucket full of water on her. When she opened her eyes, she looked like a drowned but very clean rat. Her uniform was still an unpleasant shade of red but that didn't seem to bother her.

"_So… would you care to explain where you were and why you were gone so long?" All three of them stood there with identical expressions of annoyance and curiosity. She stared back with a look of innocence. _

"_Where I was is none of you business. I just got held up and couldn't make it back in time for the end of my patrol. But I can tell you that there's three less rapists in Paris now because of my efforts." She said all this as nonchalantly as one would when talking about the weather. They simply stared at her. Antonio gaped at her, not in shock but in awe. The other three looked at her wearily, as if they'd heard stuff like this before._

"_You know you shouldn't have done that. You should've let us handle it, especially in your condition." Athos said as he shook his head. _

"_What I do with or without you is none of your business Michael Athos! I can handle myself! I'm not the little girl you helped raise anymore. I am a grown woman and a damn good musketeer! And the sooner you realise that, the better off everybody will be!" With that said, she spun on her heel and stormed out the doors. The other three watched her leave and didn't go after her. Antonio, however, followed her back to her home._

Raoul glanced over at the musketeers, watching their reactions. D'Artagnan's face was sad and disappointed as he watched her walk away from them and their help. Anne had the same expression. Athos's face was blank, however his eyes were angry. Porthos also looked saddened and Aramis looked indignant.

"How can she just brush off three murders so easily? What's the matter with her?" Aramis said angrily. D'Artagnan gave him a furious look.

"If you're saying that my family has something wrong in their heads then why don't settle this here and now?!"

"I wasn't saying that! I was just…"

"Like hell you weren't!"

"Fighting is not going to solve anything you two! Enough!" Athos shouted as he stepped between them.

"If we want this to never happen then we'll just make changes. But until we find out the whole story, we really can't do anything! Now, we are all stressed and we are all worried about this but snapping at each other is not going to do anything to help! No both of you grow up and apologize!" They glared at each before taking a deep breath and apologizing. Athos gave a satisfied nod before turning to Raoul.

"Ok. Now that this has been settled, where do we go next?" Raoul smiled.

"Why don't you wait and see?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**A/N: I got bored one night and decided to start writing the next chapter. I've only got one reviewer who seems quite dedicated to the story, so this one's for you. Also thanks to the 50 some odd people who at least kept checking on it. Your attention is appreciated.**

_P.S. I'm sure you've already figured out which writing is whose but to save you any trouble, I'll put it up again. (Does anybody actually read these things?) And one more thing, I know that there are no kings and queens in France or Austria in 2007 but for the sake of this fan fiction, there is. If you don't like it, then you'll have to find a different fan fiction to read._

**Bold: Musketeer thoughts**

_Italics: Future People_

_**Bold Italics: Future people's thoughts**_

Regular words: People from 1662

Now, on with the story!!

Although the musketeers hoped for an idea to come to them, they were sadly mistaken when it didn't. They wanted to help the people of the future but had no idea what was so big that it would alter everything.

Athos held his head in his hands as he watched Aramis pace, staring at the extremely long list in his hands. Porthos was leaning back comfortably, not a care in the world, but it was obvious in the look on his face that he was also pondering the solution.

The remainder of their group, D'Artagnan, Anne and Philippe, were sitting in a close circle and whispering furiously. Athos had often looked up at them from time to time and tried to strain his ears to catch what they were saying but the sounds of Aramis footsteps and Porthos's heaving sighs of hopelessness drowned them out.

When Raoul approached, they all looked up, exhaustion and frustration evident on their faces. He raised an eyebrow at them, questioning their appearance.

"Why the long faces? You all look like you haven't any hope left for the situation."

"That's because we don't Raoul." Athos muttered, his own expression a defeated one. Raoul sighed in impatience.

"I was hoping you would figured it out on your own but I guess I'll just have to tell you. If you were to stop D'Artagnan from being stabbed by Louis, you would change everything. Does that seem big enough to satisfy you?" They all looked at him, their faces blank. Then they turned to looks of anger, confusion and betrayal. Athos gave him a sad look.

"Why didn't you just tell us this before? Why carry on this series of events if you knew they could be stopped in a single action?" Raoul looked down.

"Because you all had to understand why you are doing it. Why you are saving someone's life and the impact it would have if you went through with it. That is why I had to put you through all this." He unrolled a parchment scroll and glanced at it briefly.

"There's one more thing you have to see to fully understand this mess. It's even more of the future that has been already decided." He waved his hand and everything changed. They were standing in what looked to be a very elegant building, quite possibly a castle of some sort. From a corridor to their left, two people entered. One was a male dressed in the attire of a king and the young woman on his arm appeared to be a queen of some sort. Both of them looked vaguely familiar.

"_How do you like the palace so far Lisa?" The male asked, hope and a touch of anxiety in his youthful face. She gave him a bright smile. _

"_It's bigger than what I imagined when you described it to me. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm a queen. But to live here seems to make it all the more real." He nodded in understanding. _

"_I know. When Athos forced me to tell you after he confronted me, I was terrified you would reject me for it. I always meant to tell you I was the King of France but I never could find the right words. But when the queen told me she wished for us to be split, I almost couldn't hide my joy." He turned towards her, his eyes shining. _

"_My sister was planning to abdicate from the Austrian throne and I was leaving France to return here to rule. But I really wished for you to come with me and work alongside me as you had for three years. I was quite surprised when you said yes." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. _

"_You need not have worried. I wanted to marry you, King or musketeer. But having you as both just made it all the better."_

"That's not who I think it is, is it? That's not D'Artagnan?" Porthos said, shock evident in his voice. Raoul chuckled.

"Would it shock you more if I said yes? This is the future. That man there is Antonio. I'm quite sure you remember him." They all nodded.

"Well as you've just heard, he is a king and Lisa has married him. Odd how things work out sometimes for the better." All of them were in too much shock to speak.

_Antonio watched as she gazed out over the land from the balcony they were on. She was looking towards France. She was a vision of loneliness, slight amounts of tears sparkling in her eyes as she looked towards the place she had called home for fifteen years._

"_You seem lonely. Is there any way I can help?" She shook her head. _

"_It's not you Antonio. It's just… I miss my brothers. I haven't seen them since the coronation. The day right after, they left and I haven't heard from them since. I feel like they want nothing to do with me anymore." He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. _

"_I'm sure that they are just really busy. Someone had to take your place last year as Captain. I'm pretty sure that they are just really busy. If you want…" He paused and pulled her away from him somewhat, only far enough so that he could look down into her face. _

"_You could invite them to live here for a little while. I'm sure they would love to help you in your condition. I won't be here all the time, no matter how much I wish I could be here every minute with you. And I know you are not too fond of the ladies-in-waiting who are assigned to every queen." He placed a gentle hand on her stomach and left it there. He placed a kiss on her forehead before waiting for her answer. She lowered her hand and placed it on top of his. _

"_I would like if they could come here for the next little while. I just hope they'll welcome it as much we are. It's not every day they become uncles." She smiled at him, her eyes warm, her skin giving an almost unnoticeable glow. He kissed her full on this time before pressing his forehead to hers._

"_I'll make all the arrangements. You just relax. If you wish, practice with your sword fighting but please, don't go into town under a disguise and get into another bar room brawl. I almost had a heart attack last time you did that." She blushed as his comment brought back a rather embarrassing memory. _

"This seems very familiar, yet different." Aramis said, his voice quiet. Raoul glanced at him then at the two on the balcony.

"It's what should've happened in our time. I'm pretty sure you can guess with who." Athos gave an almost imperceptible nod. He glanced as subtlety as possible at D'Artagnan and the queen.

_Antonio looked at his watch briefly before standing up. _

"_I'm sorry Lisa but I think it would be best if we go get ready. The ball will be starting soon and I have… some things I have to take care of." Lisa nodded and, taking his offered hand, stood up to follow him. _

"Well what was the point of that?" Porthos asked, his face a look of pure confusion. Raoul smiled.

"The point was to simply introduce you to the situation at hand, nothing more. Ah! There goes Antonio now on his way to Paris." They all crowded out on to the balcony and watched as Antonio made his way on some metal, two wheeled thing, his destination being France.

"Why don't we follow him?" Raoul snapped his fingers and they were in Paris, following the figure of Antonio as he wound his way through the streets in search of some place. He kept looking at a scrap of paper in his hand and was looking at the brass numbers nailed into the doorframes.

"_Where the heck is this place?! I try to find one person and I can't even do that!" _

"_You look a little lost sir. Perhaps we could help?" He spun around on the spot and was staring in shock at Athos, Porthos and Aramis who had come up behind him without him noticing._

"_There you are! These directions you gave Lisa are really quite useless you know." Athos squinted his eyes at him for a moment before giving a little sound of recognition._

"_Who would've thought you of all people would come back to Paris? Antonio, what the hell are you doing here and why were you looking for us?" He smirked._

"_I came to bring you three back with me to Austria. Lisa really does miss you, you know. She doesn't smile much these days because she just wants to see you three. Think you can drop your busy schedules for a few months and come with me? Lisa could use your help." _

"_Our help with what? She's not hurt is she?" Athos looked like he was in bit of a panic. The others watched him warily, as if dreading the answer. Antonio just laughed._

"_Oh heavens no! It's something good trust me! She just wants you three there. What do you say? Will you come back with me?" Porthos and Aramis looked to Athos for a response. His face was blank for a few moments before he broke into a wide smile._

"_When and where do you want us to meet you?" The others gave a sigh of relief. Then they smiled too. They were going to see their sister again!_

They watched as they all split up. They would all meet up later at the city's south road.

"Can't we just skip all this? This is getting rather boring." D'Artagnan said, sounding rather bored.

"Patience. We'll skip to when it really gets bad. Would that help?" When he saw them all nod, Raoul sighed and snapped his fingers.

They were standing in what appeared to be a garden of some sort. They saw Lisa, almost 9 months pregnant, just walking around. She stopped and sat on the side of a fountain, playing with water a bit with her hand. Athos seemed to be watching her from the garden entrance, acting for all the world like a guard.

"_Lisa, being out in the open like this isn't safe. Maybe we should head back inside?" Lisa glared at him._

"_Athos, you worry too much. I'm fine. I'm not some invalid who needs constant care!" A resounding click cut her off. She swung her head from side to side, looking for the source._

"_Athos did you hear that?" He didn't answer. _

"_Athos? You there?" Nothing but still silence was there._

"_You know this isn't funny! And getting a pregnant woman upset is a really bad thing to do! Now come out! That's a god damn order!" She got no response. Her face turned white, her look of agitation being replaced by a look of pure fear. She looked around once more before taking off for the castle. She had almost made it to the gate when someone slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. She hit the ground hard on her side, rolling into the bushes from the force of the hit. _

"_You alright?" Athos's face looked down at her, half hidden in the shadows of the trees and bushes. Lisa looked him in a fury._

"_Am I alright?! You just practically threw me into the bushes! What the hell were you thinking?!" He just sat there with a blank look on his face, letting her rant at him. She paused when she saw his look, going completely silent._

"_That's better. I was trying to save your life if you really want to know." She nodded, her look one of shame. Athos snapped his neck around to look at the fountain, his eyes squinting as he looked into the darkness. _

"_Damn trees…. Can't see a thing. But I take it you heard that click as well?" She nodded again, her hands starting to shake. Athos held her shaking hands in his own an attempt to calm her._

"_We'll be fine kid. Nothing to worry about. Just stay calm and do what I say ok?" She nodded, her blue eyes darting to and fro in a frenzy. Athos watched her minute movements, still stroking her hands in an attempt to sooth her._

"_Easy does it Lisa. We'll be fine alright? Trust me." She looked at him for a moment, her eyes looking for something in his face before giving a slow nod._

"_I don't think you'll be staying safe for very long. Both of you on your feet! Now!" Lisa felt the gun muzzle pressed against her neck, felt the breath on her hair. The man reached down and helped her stand, his thick hand wrapped around her upper arm. Athos made a move to stand when he pulled the gun from her and pointed it down between his eyes. Athos looked up the barrel of the gun to their assailant but could not see his face from his viewpoint._

"_Now, you will stand up and walk away. You will not go for help or I will shoot her. You will not try anything to save her or I will shoot her. Do you understand?" He stared at him for a minute but did not make any movement other than blinking. The man, whoever he was, became agitated. He pressed the barrel hard against the bridge of his nose._

"_DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" He shouted at him. Athos nodded solemnly. The man calmed and pulled the gun away and pressed it to her neck once more._

"_Good. Then you will leave right now. Remember the rules. Try anything…" He left the threat open, leaving Athos to use his imagination as he was forced to walk away._

They watched him leave, an air of hopelessness emanating from him. They saw a tear make its way down his face as he made his way to the gate. Lisa stared after him, her eyes impossibly wide, her look one of betrayal. Athos kept walking, the tears coming faster as he sped up into a jog. Then, when the tears just wouldn't stop, he broke into a run and fled for the gates. However much he ran, she didn't stop staring after him, her look going from one of betrayal to hopelessness to fear as the distance stretched between them.

"_Now my pretty one. You'll be coming with me back to France, where you will submit your child to the person you once considered your queen. If you fight, we will not be responsible for what happens to you or your child. Now, come along." The man steered her towards the other end of the gardens. She went without a fuss but kept looking back as if hoping beyond hope that Athos hadn't abandoned her. Athos spun around and watched as Lisa was led away. His face became impassive then slipped into one of pure fury._

"_Nobody. Touches. My. Sister!" His started running at the pair at the other end of the gardens in a blatant rage. They watched as Lisa spun around then smashed a high-heeled foot down on the guy's foot. Athos ran at him as he raised his gun, aiming it a Lisa's head. He pulled him back in a headlock, the other flailing the gun around in an attempt to take aim. The man let off a couple shots into the trees, sending screeching birds from their nests. Athos grunted and squeezed harder on the man's throat, reaching forward to snatch the gun. A sudden loud crack split the night and the man collapsed. Athos dropped him in shock and looked up to see a panting Lisa clutching a thick, broken tree branch. _

_He stared at her for a few minutes before giving a little nod and kneeling down to tie the man's hands. Lisa watched before a look of sudden pain crossed her features, a pale, shaking hand flying to her stomach. Athos didn't notice, his mind so focused on his task at hand._

_She stepped back and leaned herself heavily against a tree. Athos then looked up at the sound of her panting. Beads of sweat trailed down her skin, her chest heaving as spasms of pain swept through her body in spaced periods of time. Athos's eyes went impossibly wide._

"_Lisa? Are you ok?" He stood up, his hand outstretched to try and take hers. She reached up weakly to accept his hand but couldn't get her arm up high enough. She whimpered quietly, tears starting to flow._

"_Athos… I think it's the baby. I think it might be…" She couldn't finish the sentence as she let out a loud scream of pain. She grasped his hand in a vice grip. _

"_Athos please! Get someone! Anyone! It's coming and it's coming now!" His eyes went wide before he nodded, stood and ran for the castle. He was too far gone to hear another scream from her before everything went silent as a tomb. A small river of blood flowed through the grass, pooling in a small pothole by the gate._

_Athos returned moments later with Porthos, Aramis, Antonio, and the castle doctor only to find the dead body of his sister, stabbed through the heart and stomach multiple times and his prisoner no where to be found on the grounds. She was spread on the ground, looking for all the world like a sleeping angel until you got close enough to see the permanently etched look of horror on her pale face. Her dress, once a deep royal blue, was no stained to match the colour of red wine._

_Athos paled as he looked upon the bloody scene before hurrying to the bushes and beginning to violently throw up. Porthos held back his long blonde hair as he retched, his body jerking and twitching, tears leaving blatant trials down his face. But over the sounds of Athos's retching, you could hear Antonio's mournful cries as he sobbed terribly over his late wife's cold, unresponsive body, weeping for her loss and the loss of their unborn child. _

_Aramis kneeled down beside the young king and quietly began whispering the last rites of a dead warrior. When he was finished, he crossed himself once then began another prayer for the dead child that never got to see life. He crossed himself again then used some of the pooled blood to draw a cross on her forehead. He stood and stepped back, returning to Athos and Porthos and leaving the king to grieve._

The musketeers were in shock. The faces were pale, their expressions ones of disbelief, fright, and terrible sadness. To witness such a tragic death was something none of them had ever hoped to see or hear in their lifetimes. Raoul had bowed his head during the prayers and muttered them with the future Aramis just for the pity he held for the young woman whom he had been set to watch. He raised his head and wiped off a couple of tears that had begun to make their way down his face.

"Now do you understand? This is what the future turns out to be. It is nothing but misery, pain, and suffering to those who least deserve it." Athos looked up, though for a moment before placing a tentative question.

"Raoul, what exactly happens to all of them? I thought you said all of our lines were in danger."

"They are. This one event causes a chain which sets off the demise of the others. Athos becomes consumed by a desire for revenge on the man who killed her and in turn, is killed himself when he confronts him. Porthos, in a fit of depression which lasts several years, ends up drinking himself into a coma and later, his brain completely shuts down while sitting at a table drinking. Aramis is the only one who lives past the age of forty. However, he tries to finish what Athos started and he is shot by a spy within the ranks of musketeers. He dies of lead poisoning. As for Antonio, he loses his mind completely and is committed to an asylum where he lives out his years insane, crying, screaming for her to return or for God to come and take him. It is not a very nice future." All of them paused and reflected on everything they've seen, all the horrors that they now know will be faced. Raoul let them be for a couple minutes to take in this last bit of information before pulling a small pouch of blue powder from his belt.

"You have all the information I can give you. It's up to you all to use it to change the future. I'm afraid that it is time for all of you to go back." The statement pulled all of them from their shock to stare at him for a moment. Anne approached him slowly, her heart heavy. When she reached him, she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Thank you. Thank you for showing this to all of us." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion. Raoul stood there in shock before he hugged her back.

"You are quite welcome your majesty." She pulled away and went to stand with the others. Athos stepped forward.

"I know you can't come back. But now that I know what happened to you, I think I will be able to move on." He pulled him into another hug.

"Take care my son." Raoul hugged him back tightly, sniffling slightly.

"Thank you father. You take care as well." Athos stepped back and waited. Raoul moved farther away. He poured a small amount of powder into his hands. He stared at it for a moment and raised it to his face.

"Good luck to all of you." He said quietly. He blew the powder towards them in a cloud, watching it surround them and begin to swirl. Once it had completely covered them, it imploded upon itself but the musketeers, Philippe and the Queen were no longer there. He turned to look at the distressing scene one last time before snapping his fingers and vanishing in little wisps of smoke.


End file.
